Lady's Plan for Diesel 10
by Megamafan16
Summary: Why did Diesel 10, after trying to destroy Lady, reappear on the Island of Sodor and, suddenly, become a Really Useful Engine? To answer that question, let's look back at the time of Lady's return to the Island, and a little plan she had to complete before she left...styled like an episode of the classic TV show! Please read and review!


Note: Thomas is owned by HIT Entertainment, not me.

This story assumes Magic Railroad is canon, and bridges the gap between the movie and the series (namely, when Diesel 10 started acting nice and helping the other engines out)

Pick your narrator (I'd suggest Alec Baldwin for this one, since I set it in between Seasons 5 and 6)

* * *

**LADY'S PLAN FOR DIESEL 10**

The Island of Sodor was crowded with visitors. People came from all over the world to see the newest engine to come to the Island: Lady the Magic Engine.

She was remarkable. Her violet and gold paint glittered in the sunshine, and her whistle couldn't be mistaken for another engine's, with its distinctive 'Weoooo-Weeoooo' sound.

Also, she wasn't called the 'Magic Engine' for nothing! She was the engine that ran the Magic Railroad, a special line that connected the Island of Sodor to so many fantastic places!

She had been missing for so long, hiding from the brutal Diesel 10. This diesel had tried to rip her apart with his frightening claw a long time ago, forcing her to run away from the Island after diesel made her come off the rails. Her return was almost cut short by him as well, if not for Thomas helping her across a damaged viaduct, which Diesel 10 failed to cross, ending the chase when he fell into a rubbish barge.

Now, an event was being held all over the Island to celebrate her return. Her driver, Burnett Stone, was personally welcomed by the Fat Controller himself:

"I cannot say how good it is to see you again, Mr. Stone. It's been so long since we've met."

"Likewise, Sir Topham Hatt." smiled Burnett.

Burnett took Lady all across the Island. She was happy to see all the sights of Sodor that she had missed for so long, meet old friends like Skarloey and Rheneas, and see the new arrivals and hear what they do.

But after a while, she began to mope a little. One night, as she was resting by the sheds with the other engines, she told them about it:

"I don't want to just come and go," she said. "All engines want to be really useful, and right now, all I'm doing is saying hello to everyone!"

"So you want to pull a train, then? I'm sure the Fat Controller will make arrangements when you ask." said Edward reassuringly.

"But don't ask for _too_ much at once." said Gordon. "You are a _small_ engine after all, and wouldn't stand a chance of pulling the express!"

"Or the Flying Kipper." added Henry.

"And someone as famous as you probably shouldn't be seen shunting." Toby mentioned.

"It's not just that," Lady said, "There's something I _must_ do before my visit is over and I have to return to the Magic Railroad."

The other engines were too tired to talk any further, and they all went to sleep.

"""""""""""""""""""""

That morning, the Fat Controller told the engines that he had a special load of steel beams being prepared at the Ironworks, and he needed an engine to bring it to the Docks.

The engines shuddered. "Y-y-you mean, the yard where the d...diesels work?"

"The very same." said the Fat Controller.

The engines shuddered again...except for Lady, who asked, curiously: "Sir...is Diesel 10 there?"

"Yes, Lady; but he's shut up in the shed after he tried to scare you off the Island. And he'll stay there until I figure out what to do with him."

Thomas was confused; he knew Diesel 10 wanted to _scrap_ Lady, not scare her! He was just about to ask the question when Lady said: "I'll take the load, Sir, if that's alright. After all, Sir, I want to do more than just smile and whistle at the visitors."

The Fat Controller agreed, and left to speak with Burnett Stone.

As they lit her fire, Thomas asked her: "Why does the Fat Controller think Diesel wanted to _scare_ you?"

Lady smiled; "Don't _you_ tell him about it, or you'll spoil the surprise!"

"Surprise what?" asked Percy, but Lady was off to the Ironworks to collect her train before she could answer.

"I don't understand, Thomas!" he said; "Why would she want to go visit her worst enemy?"

"I don't know," replied Thomas. "We'll just have to hope Burnett Stone can protect her in any case."

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lady arrived at the Ironworks considerably early, so much so that the trucks hadn't been completely loaded yet!

As she waited, the smelter's yard diesels, Arry and Bert, sidled up to her. "Well 'ello, Lady," they wheezed, "Enjoyin' yer stay?"

"Very much, thank you." she replied, completely unafraid (or so it seemed). Then, she asked them to show her where they're keeping Diesel 10.

Arry and Bert shivered. Even they were afraid of Diesel 10. But they nonetheless showed her the siding.

There in the shed, behind a wooden barrier, was Diesel 10. His claw was squeezed between his roof, and the roof of the shed, and he couldn't lift it! He was furious at being shut up for so long; he wanted to get outside, and scrap some steam engines! But the Fat Controller wouldn't let any driver come near him!

And now Lady was in front of him. She kept a safe distance, because even though he was harmless, she still remembered all the harm he had done to her...still, she took a deep breath, and said: "Hello, Diesel."

"Hrmph. Come to mock me, eh?"

"No. Just... thought you might be lonely, seeing as how everyone's scared of you. Even your two little helper diesels, Splatter and Dodge, have abandoned you here."

"Yeah, I know." said Diesel 10. "Last I heard, Splodge," (by which he meant Splatter and Dodge, but he was used to referring to both at once) "had left for the mainland, where they'd be as far away from me as possible."

"I don't believe they were in the wrong to, either." Lady added. "After all, being associated with you won't endear them to the Fat Controller."

"Hmmrrh..." Diesel 10 growled... "The Fat Controller and I have been at odds for as long as I can remember. He's always favoring the lazy steam engines, and sending hard-working diesels, the ones who _always_ get the job done, away! I heard he's going to take away my claw soon...Sometimes, I wonder why he didn't scrap me after that incident at the viaduct..."

At last, Diesel had brought up the subject Lady wanted to talk about. She had been thinking over what she would say today several times over in her smokebox. It was now or never; she said: "Actually, that was my fault."

"Huh?"

"I sort of...lied to the Fat Controller. I told him you only wanted to scare me off the island, not break me up. Had I told him the truth, he would have broken _you_ up for sure."

Diesel 10 looked at her in shock: "What? Why would you pull something like that over the Fat Controller? He can order our drivers around, and without drivers-"

"-we're powerless," Lady interrupted. "I know. I also know that you have the potential to be a really useful engine. I couldn't bear to see your potential for greatness wasted."

"Potential for greatness? HA!" Diesel laughed. "You don't know that! For all you know, you've sealed your own doom!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. All I'm asking is that you think about it."

"Oh I'm thinking all right...thinking about how I'm going to tear you apart the instant I get out of here!" And then, just to make his point, Diesel 10 clanked his claw loudly.

Lady decided not to push her luck any further.

She left to pick up her trucks and take them to the docks, while Diesel 10 kept imagining how he and his claw would reduce Lady to scrap.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"What were you trying to do, Lady?" Burnett asked as he took her to her trucks.

"As far as I can tell, Diesel 10 has never ever thought about being anything but a devious diesel. I figured if he started thinking about new things, he might be willing to give them a try! After all, look at where being a nuisance has got him!"

"I don't know, Lady." Burnett wasn't sure.

"Oh, it was worth a try, at least." Lady said as she was coupled up to a long line of flatbed-trucks, with large steel beams tied down onto them lengthwise, and a brakevan coupled up in the back.

"There it is, Lady!" said Arry.

"All for you!" said Bert.

"Thank you," said Lady, "And I trust that you didn't give me any bad trucks?"

Both of the diesels said no. Lady, confident, set off as soon as the guard told her she could.

As she left, the diesels snickered to themselves: They had told one of the workmen to loosen the restraints on one of the trucks.

"Heard she wants to be useful. Well, she won't be so useful wit' her train scattered all behind her!" the two giggled.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

Meanwhile, the Fat Controller was looking over some paperwork in his office. Eventually, he sighed: "Well, I can't put it off any longer."

He phoned up the Ironworks, and told them to bring Diesel 10 to the works, so he can have his claw removed.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Lady didn't know about the Fat Controller's decision, or Arry and Bert's joke. All she knew was that she was doing something she hadn't done for a very long time: Pull a train.

"Come along, Come along, Come along!" she puffed to the trucks. She was enjoying herself. All the same, she kept on the lookout for accidents.

Soon, she came to a level crossing where a lorry had stalled on the tracks! "Weooo-Weeooo! Brakes please!" she whistled as she applied her brakes, and the guard in the brakevan helped her to a quick stop.

But the instant she stopped, the restraints on the truck right behind her, the ones loosened by the workmen as Arry and Bert told them to, were jolted to the point where they snapped! Steel beams fell out onto the tracks, while one shot forward, straight into Lady!

The beam punched a hole right through her coal bunker, and coal spilled out onto the tracks!

"Cinders and ashes!" exclaimed Lady.

"Oh no!" said Burnett Stone (who, fortunately, wasn't hurt by any of this), "I'll have to put out your fire, Lady; we can't run without coal!"

"Oh dear..." moaned Lady. She was sad that she was going to be late with her first train. But there was worse to come.

Around the bend, straight from the Ironworks, came Diesel 10! He was on his way to the works to get his claw taken off, and he was miserable. But then, he saw Lady's accident!

"What ho! Ha ha!" he cackled, "Now's my chance to destroy that magic engine once and for all!"

Lady heard his voice. She heard what he said. She couldn't even _pretend_ to be brave anymore; she was scared. "Run, Burnett!" she exclaimed. But Burnett Stone refused to leave her alone.

Diesel 10 stopped right next to her. He raised his claw, and moved it over Lady. Lady shut her eyes.

Diesel reached for her...

...and then stopped! Lady opened one eye to see Diesel 10 unsure of himself! Both she and Burnett were surprised!

Diesel had just been thinking about how he was going to show her no mercy, when he suddenly remembered that Lady had shown _him_ a _lot_ of mercy!

"Do I...owe her a debt?" he asked himself.

Lady suddenly plucked up courage: "And if you do, would you repay it? After all, Diesels always get the job done, don't they?"

Diesel 10 stuttered at her words. "I...but I..."

"Please?" she asked, "The Fat Controller is expecting me to deliver this steel on time! But I can't make the run with a punctured coal bunker!"

"And we can't leave these beams behind, but me and the guard won't be able to lift them ourselves! Your claw would be really helpful here!" said Burnett Stone, who by now had figured out what Lady was trying to do.

Diesel 10 looked at the beams...then at Burnett and Lady...and finally, he said:

"Fine. But just this once."

"Good enough for now, I guess." said Lady.

Soon Diesel 10 got to work. He rearranged the steel beams with his claw, and pulled the dropped ones off the ground and back onto the trucks, where Burnett and the guard were able to fix the restraints. Then, Diesel 10 went backwards until he found a signal box, and got himself switched onto Lady's track.

He buffered up behind her, and honked his horn to say he was ready. Burnett released Lady's brakes, and the guard blew his whistle since Lady had no steam.

Diesel 10 pushed. The train was heavy, but he managed. In fact, he more than managed, he made the train go as fast as he could without spilling the load!

Lady remembered going this fast when she was running away from Diesel...but this time it was different. Instead of fright, she felt very pleased with herself!

""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Diesel 10 pushed her and her train all the way to the Docks, where workmen helped Cranky the Crane pull the steel off the trucks, and into the waiting boats.

"I don't believe it!" said Burnett Stone. "We did our job, and it's all thanks to Diesel 10!"

"Don't think too much about it," snarled Diesel 10, "I just decided to let her go this once. You should probably get her to the works, before I change my mind."

"""""""""""""""""""""""

Preparations were made, and Lady was loaded onto a flatcar that Percy was ready to take to the works...

...but before they left, the Fat Controller came to speak to them. As soon as he heard the whole story, he laughed.

"Well well, Diesel 10. And here I thought you couldn't be anything other than a nuisance! Pull a few more tricks like that, and I'll have to start calling you a really useful engine!"

Diesel 10 was surprised. "Y...you mean it sir?"

"Indeed."

Diesel 10 suddenly got an idea: "I couldn't have done it without my claw, sir."

"Oh very well." said the Fat Controller. "As long as you use it _only_ how I tell you to use it, you can keep it."

"Thank you sir!" said Diesel 10. Now he was even more surprised: Not only was the Fat Controller praising him, it was making him happy! He couldn't guess why...

Just then, the Fat Controller said something that surprised everyone _even more_! "Keep up the good work, everyone, and we'll all be able to put that whole 'trying to scrap Lady' thing behind us."

"What? Y..you knew all the time?"

"Yes, Lady, I did. My father was the one who sent Diesel 10 away the first time, after all! I don't appreciate you lying to me, but I knew what you had in mind. And thanks to today, I'm glad I decided to honor your wishes."

"Oh, thank you sir!" Lady beamed.

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

The workmen who let Arry and Bert tell them what to do were reprimanded, and made to do extra work as punishment.

After Lady was mended, she did some shunting to make up for her lying to the Fat Controller. She didn't mind the extra work, but she was thrilled when she was able to run goods trains again. Even more so when she was allowed to take some passengers!

And as for Diesel 10? After discovering how good it felt to be a useful engine for once, he decided to give it another try. And another. And another. He shunted trucks, hauled freight, and used his claw to clear debris from the tracks, or sort scrap in the smelters' yard. Of course, he wasn't always nice: He still frightened steam engines for fun, but he did it on a much smaller scale than before. And when there was a job that needed to be done, he always did it.

Everyone was sad when Lady had to return to the Magic Railroad, but the experiences she left behind had changed Sodor forever.

* * *

Thomas

Gordon

Toby

Percy

Lady

Diesel 10

Splatter & Dodge

Arry & Bert

**Next Story Coming Up Soon!**

* * *

Not really sure about that last line...not unless I come up with a phemomenal has-to-be-written concept like this one.

Please review! I want to know if I wrote something good, and kept the spirit of the Thomas & Friends show! Preferably both!


End file.
